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Should someone hint to Sherpa Mayberry to "borrow" a few of the unused rigs somewhere (maybe in NewOrleans haha) for a week or so, just charge a bit less than the going motel rate in Gillette? I doubt if this would work, and this may sound like a wild idea, but that's why youall let new guys on the forum! We don't think, we just bitch and dream! (another haha)

Yea, this would be pretty cost (and time, I don't have a fleet of drivers, etc) prohibitive.

From a Wyoming native:

Wyoming is experiencing a boom. We have oilfield, coal mines, several pipelines as well as the rodeo and touristo trade. In Pindale Wyoming as an example it is $200.00 a night. Oh, you want a bed? Times 2...Okay, okay I was joking about the bed. The surrounding little towns, Buffalo, Newcastle, Sundance are a nice MC jaunt.

A few years back, coming in from either a Michigan, rally or maybe Trenton; coming in from Newcastle, my K100LT decided I was allowed one speed: supe sonic fast whether I wanted to or not. While the rode in nice for a controlled warp factor, some of those curves and the dusk laden deer and antelope, make one a 'don't wanna'. Coming into Wright, Wyoming (sing my kill switch alternatively) I decide to stay at the motel there. Cost over $ 100.00 (but I wasn't about to say no, or try my luck pitching a tent on a red ant hill). Turned out to be a suite, with a huge room, nice kitchenette with nuke box and 'fridge.

I knew with the HS rodeo, and summer tourists I was not gonna get a great deal, but a roof (and time to ponder my plight) was all i needed and wanted.

Those curious to the ending of my ordeal: the next morning I looked into the engine, and lo and behold a cable had wedged its way into the carg, throttle linkage. Once I freed it, she purred like a flyin' brick should...little smelly clutch smell, but a sight better than seeing if she'd do 140 without asking (she would but...).

Casper is about two and a half hours away (watch the Wright sheriff...30 means 30 and he's had tons of Sturgis experience) and plenty of motels.

Gillette, has some huge coal mines and tons and tons of oil rigs, cattle, sheep, buffalo let alone deer, antelope (as common as dogs), bunny rabbits, prairie dogs, coyote, fox, eagle, hawk, jackalope, moose and squirrel.
Becareful, as some of the oilfield people will try to seduce you into moving into the windy state by offering great jobs, Wyoming women (look good in a pair of jeans), or men (look good in a pair of jeans), or little yello Yoda look alikes (me)
(looks good in a helmet armoured jacket...and a pair of jeans...LOL)

Welcome to Wyoming. Where Men are Men...and Women are Women...And it works out pretty good that way.
Michael A. Bailey
aka Scharppslicer
aka SwordofWords in some circles
Casper, WY
k100LT
80RT
r69 (58)

From Wyoming:

[QUOTE=k75karol;231603][QUOTE=nortonrt;231587]I for one won't be going to Gillette because the motel rates are just outrageously higher than advertised at the WI rally -

The rates should be the same as indicate in the flyer provided at the WI rally. There are blocks of rooms held for BMW MOA. The rates quoted immediately after the rally were due to the fact that hotels weren't booking more than 50 weeks out. Their rates are high, but as has already been said....that is their tourist season, and either we pay it or the tourists will. Unfortunate, but no different than event parking, event rates are higher, and this is an Event!

Karol, It has been a bit since I've seen your name. Kinda miss your mug I do, I do.

It will be good to see you in MY state for a change. I've been to everyone else's so this is kind of a selfish bit of fun for me. Plus maybe we'll get a dealer back in this state...LOL
Michael A. Bailey
87 K100LT
83 80RT
58 R69
Casper, WY

Once Upon a Time...

It was because of my now deceased rallyrat father that I became a semi-rally rat.
And Once Upon a Time:
On our way to some rally...Minnesoata I thimk...I was touring with my dad, he on his K100LT, me on my bare 80 R65, (a side note; touring with dad was actually a game of me watching his license plate disappear) when outside Valentine Nebraska a huge deluge abscured the road to the point where neither of us could see road. We pulled over. Had to. It was like being a wet cat; all you could do was just be wet! Finally as we were forced to learn patience, the storm dwindled enough where we were able to hobble into town.
Once in the wonderful Town of Love, we stopped at a generic Mini-Type-Mart for hot coffee. With my bomber leather jacket drenched and noticing the place had a laundromat...I, being a college graduate..decide a few mintue of my jacket in a drier would speed up the process of making me drier and warmer. Sitting their enjoying the value of a coffee so good that it would make Ellen DeGeneres want to join AA, I noticed thattheir were fine tufts of lint floating in the air. Someone didn't clean out the lint trap, I pondered to myself. Being selfless, it would be my duty to do so, only to discover that it was NOT lint, but the inner lining of my jacket that wanted to stay in Valentine. So mote it be.
By that time we both decided we were too tuckered to venture on inot other dark clouds of water, and we would stay.
There are not that many motels in the city. No vacancy. No vacancy. And..no vacancy. But look! Up the street a Bed and Breakfast! Only one room left: the Honeymoon Suite. One bed..a double..toilet down the hall. $ 150.00 We were done. Yes, we would pay. And there we would stay.
Laying upon the marriage bed, I looked upon my father, all grey bearded with the infamous Lee Marvin type nose of the Bailey Clan, with an obvious look about me that provoked a comment from dad, "Shut up! You're ugly too!" okay. okay.
We had a good time, even though I was always in a hurry. Even though HE would stop at EVERY point of interest, even if it were a painted rock planted by the locals. I met new people, saw pretty bikes, pretty scenery and most important, I spent some good quality time with my father. Which was more than a lot of people could've said.
Was it worth it?
Worth every $ 3.00 Pepsi, $ 10.00 bratwurst, $ 6.00 beer.

Putting out a general question

Gillette had a very nice set up for bathrooms in the box elder campground; About 20? double wides set on permanent foundations, inside about 10 stalls (maybe more in the ladies I stayed out of that side) about six showers with a great area for changing, and another 6 or 8 sinks with full mirrors and plug ins. And clean as a whistle, from the looks came with maid service. These "bathrooms" were dispersed over about a 10 acre campground with grass.

Here's the question; for those of you that are wrestling with paying an extorted charge for a hotel, if Sherpa Mayberry could provide deluxe tents (standup inside type with cots, and the bathrooms were A+, would this change your mind about camping?

Just asking, hoping that the powers above at BMWMOA are keeping their ears open (and S Mayberry)!

if Sherpa Mayberry could provide delux tents (standup inside type with cots, and the bathrooms were A+, would this change your mind about camping?

Just asking, hoping that the powers above at BMWMOA are keeping their ears open (and S Mayberry)!

Red

I've often considered doing a single deluxe package (large tent that folks can stand up in, inflatable bed, table, etc). I can't do too many as the equipment (cots, etc) take up a lot more room than the standard setup.

The cost would be significanly more than the standard setup though, and I've never been able to gauge the desire for someone to pay that much more.

I've been ripped off on motels in: Tucson, Az.; rock convention in town (yea rocks). Waco, Tx.; Nebraska was in town for football. Cortez, Co.; summertime in four corners and limited rooms. Wheatland, Wyo.; Cheyenne Frontier days was going on 80 mies away. Key West, Fl.; always. Pacific Coast highway; almost makes me cry to stay there but what beautiful country. Paid $5.25 per gallon for gas near Big Sur this month. Many, many more I don't remember. Anywhere on any interstate highway in the summertime.

I do a lot of riding (thousands and thousands of miles) before Memorial Day and after Labor Day and stay in lots of independant motels on 2 lane highways at $30 to $50 per night.

Gillette, Wy. ...... I have friends there and I like the place in a Wyo. sort of way. Places like Gillette are still the real American West. Oil, coal, trains, cattle, rolling high plains. It's real easy to ride here and let your mind drift back a hundred or a hundred and fifty years and think of what role things like trains played in the development of this great expanse of land. Mostly really nice, down to earth, honest people (kind of like MOA members.) Real cowboys wear tennis shoes and baseball caps. Sometimes you just have to look at things through a little different eyeball.

The motel business is the motel business. I've always been amused how "government" gigs the traveler with all kinds of additional charges so the locals can pay less taxes. It always seems the more and steadier the tourist trade, the higher all the add on taxes are. I don't find 25% additional taxes on a motel bill even suprising anymore.

We have a copy of the flyer. If you want, we can scan it & email it to you. PM me with your email address. Sounds like the prices are not exactly as contained in the flyer, though at least you'd have a list of places to call.

I seem to recall that the MOA committee when selecting a rally site takes into account the ability of the site to provide enough camping area. And I believe if the required amount is not available then the site is not booked. Should the rally committee do the same with the amount of rooms?

In West Bend and other rally‘«÷s I obtained a room in a nearby town usually 10 or 15 miles away. Now out West, towns are 60 to 70 miles apart in a lot of places making it difficult to commute to the rally.

If we are exceeding the amount of rooms, are we not exceeding the capacity of restaurants in the area? Are we going to be in line at every meal?

I have no problem with motel owners charging what the market will bear however I have a choice in paying it or not. I think for this rally it is‘«™not.

I think for future events the committee should put the amount of available rooms on the same level as the amount of camping spaces. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Gillette motel rooms

Originally Posted by scootstado

I seem to recall that the MOA committee when selecting a rally site takes into account the ability of the site to provide enough camping area. And I believe if the required amount is not available then the site is not booked. Should the rally committee do the same with the amount of rooms?

<>

In West Bend and other rally‘«÷s I obtained a room in a nearby town usually 10 or 15 miles away. Now out West, towns are 60 to 70 miles apart in a lot of places making it difficult to commute to the rally.

<>

If we are exceeding the amount of rooms, are we not exceeding the capacity of restaurants in the area? Are we going to be in line at every meal?

<>

I have no problem with motel owners charging what the market will bear however I have a choice in paying it or not. I think for this rally it is‘«™not.

<>

I think for future events the committee should put the amount of available rooms on the same level as the amount of camping spaces. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Gillette motel rooms

Originally Posted by scootstado

I seem to recall that the MOA committee when selecting a rally site takes into account the ability of the site to provide enough camping area. And I believe if the required amount is not available then the site is not booked. Should the rally committee do the same with the amount of rooms?

In West Bend and other rally‘«÷s I obtained a room in a nearby town usually 10 or 15 miles away. Now out West, towns are 60 to 70 miles apart in a lot of places making it difficult to commute to the rally.

If we are exceeding the amount of rooms, are we not exceeding the capacity of restaurants in the area? Are we going to be in line at every meal?

I have no problem with motel owners charging what the market will bear however I have a choice in paying it or not. I think for this rally it is‘«™not.

I think for future events the committee should put the amount of available rooms on the same level as the amount of camping spaces. Just my thoughts on the subject.

Okay, so trying to anser within the above poster's quote didn't quite work out for me. Let's try it this way instead, question by question.

The Rally Site Selection Committee does indeed take into account the number of motel rooms within a 20 mile radius of a suggested site. More than one venue suggested by our members has been found to be lacking this important qualification and therefore unsuitable for our needs. As our membership ages, the ratio of campers to motelers is approaching 60/40 where not that long ago, relatively speaking, it was closer to 80/20.

Agreed, towns out west are further apart as are large numbers of available lodging...at any price point.

Most Fairgrounds events are "day tripper" events, not "overnight visitors", yet there is always enough food for the visitors. It's the reason we make sure there are enough on site food vendors for our group. The local C of C is well aware that the majority of money we will leave in their community is from food and drink, and they often encourage their members to extend their hours of operation. Sometimes, ie: Trenton rally, the community doesn't believe how much we can eat after riding all day and lines grow long while supplies grow short, but that is not the norm by any means.

Lodging is a supply and demand item. Fortunately you have a choice of camping, which is included in your Rally fee; paying the going rate for available lodging; or not attending the rally this year. This is not the Marines, nobody will force you to camp if you don't want to do so.